Dear Church - Galatians 1

Freedom in Christ 1
 
Paul wrote Galatians while he was still in Corinth during his third missionary journey.  Galatia is a region and not a city; it would have included many of the churches Paul started on his first missionary journey (Acts 13 & 14).
 
Paul writes a short letter to the Galatian churches to address the false teaching that is being accepted. The issue had been dealt with about seven years earlier in Jerusalem, but as with most false teachings, it raised its ugly head again and again.
 
          Acts 15:1  Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." 2  This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.
          5  Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses." 6  The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7  After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8  God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9  He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10  Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? 11  No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are."
 
Saved by Grace, not by the Law.  That was Peter’s message, and that was Paul’s message to the churches in Galatia.  That is the message we must hear also.  We are saved by grace, not by following the Law; any law
 
          Galatians 2:15  "We who are Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners' 16  know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.
 
We are justified – we have been pronounced not guilty by Almighty God.  We are not guilty because the price for our sins has been paid by Jesus.  There is nothing else to be done to receive grace.  Grace is given, not earned.

How do we put our faith in Christ so that we are justified?  How do we accept God’s grace?
 
           Galatians 3:26  You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27  for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
 
We are sons through faith—faith is not just believing a fact; it is acting on that belief. The Galatians were immersed in Christ and, therefore, clothed with Christ.
 
Praise God we are Free!
 
We are free in Jesus.
 
Free from sin and will be presented as perfect before God the Father.
 
          Jude 1:24 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.